Gallic Books snaps up 'gloriously unhinged' novel from McDougall

Gallic Books has snapped up She’s a Killer, a "gloriously unhinged" novel from Kirsten McDougall. 

Editor Polly Mackintosh acquired world English rights, excluding New Zealand, from Martin Shaw at Shaw Literary. The novel will be published in October 2023 with an "extensive" marketing and publicity campaign. 

She’s a Killer has been longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2023 after being published in New Zealand last year where it was also longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards and shortlisted for the Ngaio March Awards 2022. 

Pitched as Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine meets "Killing Eve", the novel follows Alice, an "almost" genius who lives with her mother whom she only communicates with via Morse Code. The publisher continued: "Meanwhile, the climate crisis has resulted in New Zealand being bought up by wealthy refugees, or ’wealthugees’. When Alice meets attractive wealthugee Pablo, she thinks her luck might be about to change. But then in walks his teenage daughter Erika, an actual genius with impeccable eye makeup, and Alice finds herself drawn into action of the most radical and dangerous kind." 

Mackintosh said: "She’s a Killer is that rarest of books that has you both laughing out loud and burying your head in your hands in despair. Set in a world that’s all gone a bit wrong, it feels very timely. But Kirsten’s dark humour, combined with a wonderfully outspoken and unlikeable female protagonist, make it truly unputdownable. I am delighted to be bringing her work to more readers."

McDougall added: ‘I’m so thrilled that She’s a Killer will be published by Gallic Books. I can’t wait for new audiences to meet the badly behaved Alice and see a version of New Zealand that you can’t find in a tourist brochure."